'Avengers' Producer Jon Favreau Reveals His Marvel Role

'My involvement is just to be as supportive as I can be,' former 'Iron Man' director tells MTV News.
By Eric Ditzian

Jon Favreau
Photo: MTV News

When Jon Favreau bowed out of the "Iron Man" franchise in December, the filmmaker made clear he remained on good terms with Marvel execs and that he'd stay within the studio family as an executive producer on the upcoming superhero all-star flick, "The Avengers."

But with Favreau busy with directorial duties on the alien-Western hybrid "Cowboys & Aliens" and prep work on "Magic Kingdom," his Disney World-set family picture, it remained to be seen how involved he'd be with "Avengers," which kicked off filming in April. Now, as the "Avengers" teaser trailer has leaked (after appearing in the post-credits sequence of "Captain America") and fans have gotten their first look at what director Joss Whedon has done with that collection of superheroes, we're also getting an idea of Favreau's role in the action.

"My involvement is just to be as supportive as I can be. Most of the cast is people that came onboard to work with me on the 'Iron Man' film, so I feel a sense of responsibility to them. I really hope it works out," Favreau told MTV News while promoting "Cowboys & Aliens." "I'm not in the trenches with them and I'm not making creative decisions on their behalf, but I'm completely available and of service."

That's a far cry from how fans might have thought things would play out back in 2008, when Favreau said he'd be open to directing "Avengers." But in October 2009, MTV News broke the news he wouldn't be helming the film, and after "Iron Man 2" hit theaters last year, he ceded directorial duties on that franchise to Shane Black. These days, Favreau said Whedon is a far better choice to direct "Avengers" than he ever would be.

"They have Joss Whedon, who's a very talented guy and is really good with ensembles and really understands the superhero genre better than I do," Favreau explained. "I understand 'Iron Man' very, very well, especially the 'Iron Man' movie and the cast and the characters all built to one thing. But there are other characters that I don't know. Each filmmaker had a different approach to how they went about it — 'Captain America' is coming out, 'Thor.' The combining of all those things is going to be its own thing in and of itself that Joss has embraced and wrote the script. I expect big things."

Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Anderson Cooper Tweets A Facial Photo

Anderson Cooper, the much-beloved roving reporter/personality for CNN, is enjoying a few vacation days this week and just a couple of days ago posted a photo on Twitter from his holiday. Cooper asked his followers to guess where he was vacationing based on the photo you can see below. Wanna see what a shirtless Anderson [...]

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Quote Of The Day

"I have a lot of help that I didn't think I needed. My sister, Linda is like my childrens' second mother. It's pretty amazing, because she wanted to have 14 children and can't have any."
- Celine Dion to Star Magazine on motherhood
[Image via WENN.]

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Bette Midler to Lady Gaga: ?I Did It First?

It is always a spectacle when one diva copies another one, especially when they are called out for being a copycat. Lady Gaga was recently criticized for performing onstage in a wheelchair during a concert, but Bette Midler took to her Twitter account to let the world know that this shtick on wheels is over 20 years old.

According to the Divine Miss M, "Dear @ladygaga if you think a mermaid in a wheelchair seems familiar - it's because it is! You can see it on youtube 24/7 - with ME performing it."

Bette, you are an original and an icon, but remember, imitation is the biggest form of flattery!

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J. Lo's Post Divorce Payday

The Latino power couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced their shocking divorce on July 15, but J. Lo is not letting that hold her back! The American Idol judge will perform a private concert for you... for the right price. She is reportedly raking in around $1 million for performing at a wealthy man?s wedding in the Ukraine. Her big performance must make the end of her seven-year marriage slightly bittersweet. Her relationship may have just come to an end, but if you are J.Lo there is always a silver lining. ?Jennifer will be performing in the Ukraine,? Jennifer?s spokesperson reportedly said. ?Terms of the agreement cannot be confirmed.?

The split came as a surprise to many, especially as the two had several joint projects in the works. Latina magazine conducted an interview just a few weeks ago in which J. Lo said they were ?a good combination.? Jennifer and Anthony are the parents of 3-year-old twins, Max and Emme. According to Celebuzz, the couple gave no indication of custody plans for the children.

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'Avengers' Producer Jon Favreau Reveals His Marvel Role

'My involvement is just to be as supportive as I can be,' former 'Iron Man' director tells MTV News.
By Eric Ditzian

Jon Favreau
Photo: MTV News

When Jon Favreau bowed out of the "Iron Man" franchise in December, the filmmaker made clear he remained on good terms with Marvel execs and that he'd stay within the studio family as an executive producer on the upcoming superhero all-star flick, "The Avengers."

But with Favreau busy with directorial duties on the alien-Western hybrid "Cowboys & Aliens" and prep work on "Magic Kingdom," his Disney World-set family picture, it remained to be seen how involved he'd be with "Avengers," which kicked off filming in April. Now, as the "Avengers" teaser trailer has leaked (after appearing in the post-credits sequence of "Captain America") and fans have gotten their first look at what director Joss Whedon has done with that collection of superheroes, we're also getting an idea of Favreau's role in the action.

"My involvement is just to be as supportive as I can be. Most of the cast is people that came onboard to work with me on the 'Iron Man' film, so I feel a sense of responsibility to them. I really hope it works out," Favreau told MTV News while promoting "Cowboys & Aliens." "I'm not in the trenches with them and I'm not making creative decisions on their behalf, but I'm completely available and of service."

That's a far cry from how fans might have thought things would play out back in 2008, when Favreau said he'd be open to directing "Avengers." But in October 2009, MTV News broke the news he wouldn't be helming the film, and after "Iron Man 2" hit theaters last year, he ceded directorial duties on that franchise to Shane Black. These days, Favreau said Whedon is a far better choice to direct "Avengers" than he ever would be.

"They have Joss Whedon, who's a very talented guy and is really good with ensembles and really understands the superhero genre better than I do," Favreau explained. "I understand 'Iron Man' very, very well, especially the 'Iron Man' movie and the cast and the characters all built to one thing. But there are other characters that I don't know. Each filmmaker had a different approach to how they went about it — 'Captain America' is coming out, 'Thor.' The combining of all those things is going to be its own thing in and of itself that Joss has embraced and wrote the script. I expect big things."

Check out everything we've got on "The Avengers."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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Breaking news: Kim Kardashian is NOT wearing heels?

There's nothing remotely interesting to tell you about these pictures of Kim Kardashian arriving at LAX yesterday. Sorry.

But in the absence of any real celebrity gossip (apparently there?s some phone hacking scandal going on and it?s sucked the life out of everything) we thought we?d show them to you anyway.

Kim had just returned from a day trip to New York (New York in a day? Dover to Calais, yes, but LA to New York, that?s a bit much) when we spotted her breezing through LAX in some flat shoes.

Right, that?s us done for the day? *turns up Sky News, puts feet on desk and tucks into popcorn*

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'Dark Tower': Universal Passes, And Here's What Ron Howard Should Do Next

by Brian Phares
In news that's not exactly surprising but still disappointing, Universal has officially passed on Ron Howard's ambitious adaptation of "The Dark Tower." Deadline broke the news, revealing that Universal won't proceed with Howard's plan to adapt Stephen King's classic novels through three films and two seasons of television. Howard is free to shop [...]

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First Look: Bj�rk, ?Cosmogony?

Late last month we got our first look at the single cover artwork for Bj�rk‘s song Crystalline, the first single from her new album Biophilia. Today we get to check out the artwork for her second single Cosmogony, which will be released on iTunes tomorrow. Additionally, the Biophilia “mother app” will also be released tomorrow [...]

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